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WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.
The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.
Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.
The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on U.S. weapons support for Ukraine before Friday’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.
apnews.com
Also, no Patriots from Greece and few from Spain,
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed for at least seven more Patriots or similar defence batteries to protect its cities and power plants from Russian attack.
But Greece has said it cannot spare any of its Patriot or S-300 systems.
Reports say Spain will supply some Patriot missiles but not a full system.
Spain and Greece have come under pressure to help Ukraine from both Nato and European Union allies, in response to attacks on vulnerable cities including Chernihiv and power facilities in Kharkiv and close to Kyiv.
Ukraine only has a handful of Patriots to complement other Western missile defence systems and existing stocks of Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), such as the S-300.
Patriots are the most capable and expensive air defence systems that Ukraine has.
President Zelensky said on Friday that Russian jets had targeted Ukraine with more than 9,000 "guided aerial bombs" so far this year and Kyiv needed to be able to shoot their planes down.
"We urgently need better systems. And missiles for them to save lives right now," he told a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an alliance of Nato members and partner countries.
Germany has already promised an extra Patriot, and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a $6bn weapons programme on Friday, to include missile intercepts for Patriot and Nasam (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) air defence systems.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has suggested that Ukraine's allies have not provided support they promised. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell said this week: "The Patriots are in the capitals. And it's up to them to take the decisions."
Greece in particular has stocks of Patriots and S-300s. But Prime Minister Kyrios Mitsotakis has ruled out handing any to Kyiv. "We explained why we cannot do it," he told Skai TV.
His said his country's air defences were "critical systems for the protection of Greek air space".
www.bbc.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.
The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.
Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.
The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on U.S. weapons support for Ukraine before Friday’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.
Ukraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over Russian drone threats
Two U.S. officials say Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia.
apnews.com
Also, no Patriots from Greece and few from Spain,
Ukraine war: Kyiv's plea for Patriots falls short in Greece and Spain
Greece has rejected pressure from European allies to help Ukraine boost its air defences, arguing that Athens needs the systems for itself.Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed for at least seven more Patriots or similar defence batteries to protect its cities and power plants from Russian attack.
But Greece has said it cannot spare any of its Patriot or S-300 systems.
Reports say Spain will supply some Patriot missiles but not a full system.
Spain and Greece have come under pressure to help Ukraine from both Nato and European Union allies, in response to attacks on vulnerable cities including Chernihiv and power facilities in Kharkiv and close to Kyiv.
Ukraine only has a handful of Patriots to complement other Western missile defence systems and existing stocks of Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), such as the S-300.
Patriots are the most capable and expensive air defence systems that Ukraine has.
President Zelensky said on Friday that Russian jets had targeted Ukraine with more than 9,000 "guided aerial bombs" so far this year and Kyiv needed to be able to shoot their planes down.
"We urgently need better systems. And missiles for them to save lives right now," he told a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an alliance of Nato members and partner countries.
Germany has already promised an extra Patriot, and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a $6bn weapons programme on Friday, to include missile intercepts for Patriot and Nasam (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) air defence systems.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has suggested that Ukraine's allies have not provided support they promised. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell said this week: "The Patriots are in the capitals. And it's up to them to take the decisions."
Greece in particular has stocks of Patriots and S-300s. But Prime Minister Kyrios Mitsotakis has ruled out handing any to Kyiv. "We explained why we cannot do it," he told Skai TV.
His said his country's air defences were "critical systems for the protection of Greek air space".
Ukraine war: Kyiv's plea for Patriots falls short in Greece and Spain
Greece says it cannot spare its defence systems and Spain reportedly says it can only provide missiles.
www.bbc.com
